The present invention is directed to an expandable livestock feeder and flexible chassis therefor, and more particularly, to an expandable hay bale carrier and feeder for transporting and presenting hay bales for feeding by livestock in the field.
A wide variety of livestock feeders have been employed in the past for the feeding of livestock in the field. In general, these feeders typically comprise a container of one form or another for containing one or more bales of hay. The container walls usually have openings therein to permit access by the livestock to feed on the hay with in the container from outside of the container. In some instances the feeder is designed to be placed in a relatively permanent location in the field where it is initially filled and replenished at that location. In other instances the feeder is mounted on a wheeled chassis so that it may be transported from one location to another, such as for loading.
The non-transportable relatively permanently positioned feeders suffer a number of obvious disadvantages as a result of their generally non-transportable nature. Even the prior chassis mounted feeders which permit the transport of the feeder from one location to another have a number of disadvantages. One disadvantage is that many of the prior transportable feeders generally have a limited capacity, This is because the width of the feeder has generally been limited to a width which will permit livestock on each side of the feeder to be able to reach the hay in the center of the feeder. If the feeder width was increased in order to accommodate large bales in side by side relationship, the center of the feeder generally is not accessible by the livestock and a substantial amount of hay would remain unconsumed. Thus, the prior feeders, whether transportable or not, generally have not been capable of holding more than one large round bale of hay in side by side relationship. Multiple large hay bales could only be accommodated if the length of the feeder was substantially extended. However, extension of the feeder length presents its own difficulties, particularly where the feeder is chassis mounted for maneuvering and transport.
Another disadvantage experienced in the prior feeders, whether transportable or not, is the difficulty experienced in loading or unloading the feeders due to the fixed nature of the feeder side and end walls. Such feeders typically require loading with a front end loader and, once loaded, are difficult if not impossible to unload except by consumption of the contents by the livestock.
Still another disadvantage experienced by the prior feeders is their inability to compensate for the progressive consumption of the hay in the feeder. Specifically due to the fixed nature of the feeder walls, as the hay is consumed by the livestock, the walls remain stationary and act as a barrier to the livestock's access to the hay remaining in the feeder.
An attempt has been made to overcome the foregoing disadvantages by mounting the feeder side walls in a manner so that they are transversely movable either manually at various intervals of time or by the livestock as they feed to generally conform with the hay remaining in the feeder. These attempts do improve the capacity of the feeders. However, such manually adjusted feeders require repeated supervision and adjustment by the farmer and frequently result in time periods in which the live stock are deprived of hay awaiting adjustment of the side walls. In the prior transversely moveable side wall feeders in which the livestock adjust the feeder, the mechanism which mounts the side walls for transverse or lateral movement is cumbersome and generally blocks the ends of the feeder from access by the livestock, thereby preventing feeding simultaneously through all four walls of the feeder.